Sheldon Masters Scholarship in Australian Indigenous Languages

Sheldon has created this Masters Scholarship to support the revitalisation and strengthening of First Nations languages of the Sydney area.

Target No 16 in the National Agreement of Closing the Gap is:

“By 2031, there is a sustained increase in number and strength of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages being spoken.”

Sheldon understands that language and culture are cornerstones of health and wellbeing, and to improve employment participation outcomes the foundational aspects of language and culture must be addressed.

The recipient of the above scholarship in 2022 and 2023 is Corina Norman; a Warmuli/Cannemegal woman of the Darug nation who has been working strongly in community developing language resources to reinvigorate the language. 

She is an educator, cultural consultant and a traditional custodian of the land of the former Blacktown Native Institution.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait languages are not just a means of communication, they express knowledge about everything: law, geography, history, family and human relationships, philosophy, religion, anatomy, childcare, health, caring for country, astronomy, biology and food.

When asked how she feels about speaking her language, a Senior Pitjantjatjara Elder replied “Tjukurrpa pulka”.  This means “very strong cultural lore/law”, speaking her language reinforces this.  Languages encode important relationships and ways of living. There were over 250 Indigenous languages in Australia prior to colonisation, each connected to the physical place of origin.  Language is so important that it is the main identifier of cultural groups in Australia and worldwide, and identity is bound up in language.

As more Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people complete research degrees, they will  become leaders in education, science, arts, tech, social services, health and law, to ensure Australia’s future is one of shared visions. 

This scholarship provides funds to support an Indigenous student’s living expenses for the two years of their studies and research in Australian Indigenous languages and requires specific grade point averages to be met. The student becomes a role model and a spokesperson for their community, because knowledge is always shared. It will result in a ripple effect of greater confidence and well-being in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities as well as increasing respect, diversity, inclusivity and wider celebration of Australia’s intangible cultural heritage. 

The Sheldon scholarship was set up in a collaboration between the Sheldon Foundation and Western Sydney University: involving Indigenous colleagues Anjilkurri Radley and Fiona Towney (Badanami Centre for Indigenous Education), and non-Indigenous colleagues Caroline Jones (MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour & Development), and Penny Tribe (Office of Advancement). The scholarship aligns and builds on Western’s new Indigenous Strategy led by DVC Indigenous Leadership Professor Michelle Trudgett.  Indigenous MRes students at Western benefit from experienced supervision teams with strong track records in this field, available through academics collaborating across The MARCS Institute for Brain, Behaviour & Development and the Schools of Education, Humanities & Communication Arts, among others.